In the 35th year of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards it is clear to me, and many others besides, that the level of quality overall had taken a serious step up compared with previous years.

Not to take anything away from the excellent group of previous finalists and winners, it’s just that there appears to be a much stronger confidence and connection to self shone through for me, evident by all of the finalist artists this year.

In this post I will walk you through my highlights, starting with one of the absolute stand outs – Pepai Carroll.

I understand that the art market can be a difficult place to navigate.

The Australian Indigenous art market is no exception and that’s why I publish a new installment of the Art Market Insider Guide twice each year – to distill the results and key market activity into a concise report that will keep you informed.

There’s been quite a bit of action in the last 6 months so let’s get into it…

With my third major exhibition of Important Australian Indigenous Art due to open at the end of the month, and my team putting the finishing touches on what’s shaping up to be a very exciting catalogue, I wanted to share a few of the highlights with you.

Now titled Significant, my annual catalogue is a selection of the most exceptional works of art available on the market, exhibited in June each year at William Mora Galleries.

Over the last 12 months I’ve seen a clear curatorial push at several of our major institutions and museums to avoid exhibiting early artefacts and historical objects, with a stronger focus on contemporary works.

While this exposure is great for contemporary artists and their respective communities, I fear it misses the bigger picture. Let me explain.

Continuing with my popular ‘Top 10’ series, I’m going to review a segment of artists that aren’t all yet prominent on the secondary market but who are making huge waves on the primary market and should be watched closely in the future.

Urban Indigenous artists can be loosely defined as those based in the urban centres, descended from communities who bore the brunt of colonisation and dislocation, generally featuring less traditional mediums and styles and more political overtones.

The best works of these artists are always challenging and with a strong narrative, but often not easily accessible on the secondary market – taking the form of installation or site specific pieces. Those that do make it into private collections are, to date, tightly held.

With so many important urban Indigenous artists currently producing this was a really hard list to define – but from the collectors that I deal with, these are the names that are making the most waves in the market at present.

When the demand for great works outstrips supply, you know you’re in a strong position. And with such a strong surge in the Australian Indigenous art market, particularly in the latter half of 2017, I’ve been encouraged to make some bold steps in 2018 and beyond.

Over the past 6 months I have noticed an uplift in international interest for the top-end segment of Australian Indigenous art. Serious collectors are once again taking notice.

As this international interest slowly starts to gather more and more momentum, it is important to realise that Australian buyers have significant opportunity now – after all, we have the home-ground advantage.

I’ve harped on this before but it remains true that the best examples of Australian Indigenous art hold their own against the best of any other art form or movement in the world.

With such easy access to a great healthcare system in Australia’s big cities, it’s easy to be unaware of the very real problems faced by the Indigenous people living in remote communities.

Chronic kidney disease is a particular concern. Rates of end-stage kidney disease in Indigenous people from remote and very remote communities are up to 20 times higher than comparable non-indigenous peoples.

Treatment required is expensive, ongoing and can often mean people have to move far away from their remote communities in order to access it.

The resulting dislocation and loss of cultural engagement and connection to family and country is an incalculable loss for these individuals and their communities.

As Private Treaty sales of artworks continue to grow exponentially and are fast becoming the leading method of sale of Indigenous art in Australia (if not already), now seems as good a time as any to examine why this is happening and how you can make the most of the trend.

The Australian art market has nowhere near the depth and breadth that can be seen overseas. In my opinion this is the fundamental reason that Private Sale – where prices are fixed and it’s up to the agent to find the right buyer – has become the most effective means to sell significant Australian Indigenous Art (and the majority of Australian Contemporary Art for that matter) within Australia.

How does the secondary market really benefit artists and what more can be done?

Confidence is the main driving force in any market.

When a masterful and large scale work by Warlimpirrnga sold at Sotheby’s in London last year for 167,000 GBP (more than doubling its lower estimate) it made international headlines. It was thrilling to see an artist, still living and working in Kiwirrkura, achieve such an incredible price for his work at auction - and in front of an international audience no less. It demonstrated a renewed level of confidence in the Australian Indigenous art market.

But there was also an immediate and short-sighted backlash following the sale, arguing that the artist and his family saw no direct benefit from this international result.

Rover Thomas, Djugamerri and Bolgumerri 1991 from the Laverty Collection, sold for $317,200 IBP at D+H, April 2017

One of my most popular posts last year was a list of the Top 10 Most Collectable Indigenous Artists (if you missed it you can check it outhere).

With the noticeable shift in market interest to Contemporary artists over the last 6-12 months, I thought a perfect follow up for that original article would be to focus on the Top 10 Most Collectable Contemporary Indigenous Artists on the Australian market right now.

One of my favourite things about my line of work is when a client invites me into their home to see a painting or collection and I get to enter a whole new world.

I love to see how, where and why they decided to hang a painting, or place a sculpture, so that it fits perfectly into their living space.

This very personal level of interaction was not generally something that I was able to offer while working in the fast-paced world of auctions – but it is a service that I relish being able to offer my clients now that I work for myself.

Visiting these private spaces is also a great reminder that each time an artwork is sold from a gallery, dealer or auction house, it is merely the beginning or a continuation of its story – never the end.

If you are ever curious to see how art collectors live with the pieces they bring home, this post is for you.

Have you ever wondered why the art market isn’t a more widely-considered asset class with a greater liquidity? In this post I explore the mechanisms which help drive (and thwart) the market here in Australia, from a perspective that you may have not yet considered...

As 2016 comes to an emphatic end, no one can be in any doubt that 2017 is going to be a very interesting and exciting year. All eyes will be on global market movements over the next 12 months but it's safe to say that astute investing in objects of beauty, rarity and value will continue to be an enriching and rewarding experience.

Here are my top 5 posts that will help build your art collection in 2017...